


Wonderfully Unexpected

by ANGSWIN



Category: Doctor Who, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blind Date, Crossover, Gen, Surprises, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27976149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANGSWIN/pseuds/ANGSWIN
Summary: An extremely confusing blind date that Harry arranges for Hermione ends in a wonderfully unexpected way.
Relationships: Hermione Granger & Thirteenth Doctor
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16
Collections: Stockings of Joy Collection





	Wonderfully Unexpected

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xxDustNight88](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxDustNight88/gifts).



> Written for the Wizarding Crossover Connection's  
> 2020 Stockings of Joy holiday fic gift exchange
> 
> Requested Pairing: Hermione Granger & Thirteenth Doctor  
> Requested Tropes: Blind Date, Time Travel

Hermione nervously bent down and pulled a loose thread off of the hem of her skirt before she stood back up and squared her shoulders with determination. She was not timid by nature – especially after everything she had gone through during the war. In fact, it had made her even stronger and more self-confident. However, she was just not fond of blind dates at all. There were too many uncontrollable variables involved in such a situation. 

That was what made her uneasy – not being in control. That...and a hatred of camping...were the main issues that had stuck with her after the trauma of her year on the run. She knew that she was very lucky, however, when she considered some of the much more severe troubles and triggers that others still experienced after the Battle of Hogwarts – even years later. 

Nevertheless, despite her fears, this particular date had been set up by Harry himself – the man who knew her better than anyone else. He had promised that this bloke was something different and special. Therefore, she had to believe him. She just wondered what “different” meant in _this_ circumstance. Harry would not explain, however. He just said that she would understand _when_ she met the Doctor. Then he laughed at the apparent private joke so heartily that Hermione actually felt the need to ask him if someone had surreptitiously cast a _Rictusempra_ on him. 

Harry had apparently made all of the arrangements for the date himself, as well. In fact, Hermione was rather impressed by the steps he had taken in order for her to meet the mystery guy. _If only he had put so much effort into his schoolwork back when we were at Hogwarts,_ she thought regretfully as she was led to the small private table on the terrace to await the arrival of her companion. _It certainly would have saved me a lot of trouble._

Despite her worries, she had also become curious about her date. _What could have made such an impression on a no-nonsense guy like Harry?_ she wondered. Whatever it was, it made her quite anxious to meet him. 

However, after she had waited in vain for over half an hour, it became quite obvious that Harry’s so-called “perfect” and “extremely interesting” friend had stood her up. Consequently, she had just pushed back her chair and was about to apparate away from the establishment out of embarrassment when she heard a strange mechanical whirring sound come from the corner of the terrace. As she watched in amazement, a blue Police Box materialized out of thin air right in front of her. 

_What in Merlin’s name?_ Hermione thought wonderingly as the doors to the Box were wrenched open from the inside and an oddly dressed, but strangely excitable woman practically bounced out of it and strode straight towards her. 

“You must be Hermione Granger!” the woman gushed with enthusiasm and reached over to shake Hermione’s hand with even more of that excessive energy that also made itself apparent in her rapid-fire speech. “Harry told me so much about you when we traveled together. I know that I’m a little late...sorry about that...but I’m so happy that you’re still here. I hope that you haven’t had dinner yet, because I’m simply starving. I mean if you look at it one way, I _literally_ haven’t eaten for around 3000 years or so. However, on the other hand, Graham did make everyone sandwiches for lunch in the TARDIS...” The woman shrugged before she finally saw the look on Hermione’s face and her rambling explanation tapered off. 

“I’m sorry...but who exactly are you?” Hermione asked, more confused than she could ever remember being before in her life. 

“Well...I’m the Doctor!” the woman exclaimed. “Didn’t Harry tell you about me? After all, I don’t normally agree to meet with people like this, but he intrigued me when he said that you were the only person he knew with an intellect that could possibly keep up with mine! I was hoping that he might have paid me the same compliment, though.” 

Hermione felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. She had feared something would go wrong on this date, but she had not figured on _this_ particular little uncontrolled detail. Not that the woman was unattractive or anything, but she was definitely not what Hermione had expected. However, that was not the Doctor’s fault, so Hermione felt the need to explain. 

“I’m sorry to seem surprised, but Harry led me to believe that you were...well...” she paused. She did not want to seem narrow-minded or prejudiced in any way, because she never could be - not after everything she had been through as a Muggleborn in a Pureblood's world. However, she still wanted to explain her confusion. “Harry said you were a _bloke!”_

The woman stopped and looked down at herself with surprise and then back up to Hermione with a grin. “That would explain it then. I guess I really was a fella back when I agreed to this date. I had forgotten. I wore bowties back then, you know. I still think bowties are cool, by the way.” 

Hermione hated to admit it, but she still did not know what was going on. It was not that she had any problems with anybody’s personal identification choices...after all life was entirely too short for that. However, her date being transgender...or gender fluid...still did not explain the freaking blue Police Box in the corner that had appeared out of nowhere! 

The Doctor caught the direction of Hermione’s stare. “I guess Harry didn’t tell you about the TARDIS, either, did he? Oh, that boy is going to get a stern talking to from me when I see him again.” 

The thought of Harry being scolded by the relatively petite Doctor, perhaps even with a finger waggle, too, caught Hermione off guard and made her laugh. In fact, her laughter turned out to be so contagious that the Doctor just had to join her, as well. Overall, it was a therapeutic moment for Hermione and she felt like herself again once she regained control of her giggles. 

“How about that dinner now?” she then asked politely and led the Doctor back to the table that had been reserved for them. After all, she realized that Harry had not really lied, the Doctor was already the most interesting person she had met in a long time. There was no definitely no doubt about _that_...and therefore she suddenly felt a great interest in continuing their conversation. The fact that _he_ was actually a _she_ at that point was completely irrelevant. “And then maybe you can tell me about your Police Box.” Her naturally inquisitive self then resurfaced, as well, and she was no longer quite so surprised at the Doctor’s chosen method of transportation. After all, some Magicals chose to ride brooms, some chose magic carpets, and she had even once met a witch who preferred a giant spinning teacup. Hermione herself had even ridden on a variety of flying creatures - including a dragon! 

“In fact,” she therefore continued easily. “I noticed that it made a very distinctive noise as you appeared. Apparating makes a sharp _crack_ of a sound when it occurs because of the sudden presence and/or absence of mass in a given space. Does your Box function in the same way? Does the sound compensate for something else?” 

The Doctor smiled as they sat down. “You know, I have known quite a few witches and wizards...and a few have even traveled with me. However, you are the first one to ask me that question.” Hermione looked at her with pleased expectation. “Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer. I’ve always just assumed that someone had left the parking brake on!” The two women laughed again at that obviously joking remark and any residual uneasiness between them was completely washed away by the abundant good humor instead. Nevertheless, the Doctor continued to explain how the TARDIS functioned as a vehicle and Hermione continued to ask intelligent questions about that...and many other things...all throughout their dinner. 

After they finished with their dessert and most of a bottle of wine, as well, the Doctor looked over at Hermione and smiled. “Harry was right about you. I'm glad that I actually made it to our date this time around.” 

_“This_ time?” Hermione asked...and just like that her confusion was right back again. 

“Yes. I’m afraid that bowtied me was unable to make our scheduled rendezvous due to an unexpected case of back-to-back alien invasions...and then silver-haired and bushy-eyebrowed me never could seem to get the TARDIS to land at exactly the right day and time in order to meet you here at the restaurant. After all, she can have a stubborn streak when she wants to. Therefore, I thought that current-me should give it a try so that I would not stand you up indefinitely...after all, I would hate to be rude...and _Voila!_...here I am!” She looked over at Hermione excitedly. “ Oooh! Apparently I say _Voila!_ now. That’s so cool! _Voila!”_

At Hermione’s blank look, the woman sighed again, though. “Oh dear! Harry didn’t tell you about the Time Travel either, did he? Even after he told me about your previous experience with using a Time Turner to take extra classes...and to save his Godfather's life? At least, that device did sound like a classier step above the cheap and easy Vortex Manipulators that the Time Agents of the 51st century use. Thank goodness!” The Doctor then launched into the abridged version of an explanation about what travel through the Time Vortex was like.

At any rate...after all was said and done...the Doctor and Hermione had decided (with great amusement) to punish Harry _together_ for his greatly inconvenient nondisclosure habit. However, Hermione had also decided that she had to see it _all_ in order to _really_ believe it. Consequently, the Doctor was more than happy to invite her along for a trip of her choosing. After all, the Fam were all back at their own homes for a short visit. Therefore, it was the perfect time to introduce a new friend to the TARDIS and her particular brand of travel. 

After their first trip ended with an arrest that had to be resolved with a magical jailbreak, though, the Doctor offered a second one that ended up in ghost-wrangling. That led to a third one where Hermione was almost married off to a giant tentacled sea-creature in order to save a Merperson village. After that particularly amusing disaster, the women realized that they were just having too much fun to keep counting the trips individually. Instead, they just decided to travel together full-time for as long as possible - just to see where it all led. In the process, Hermione also learned how to let go of her control issues. After all, time and space travel was ironically too consistently unpredictable to be uptight about it! 

Hermione insisted on stopping back by her own time and place, however, in order to inform Harry of her change of plans. She already had a suspicion, though, that he had known from the start what would happen if he introduced her to the Doctor in the first place. After all, he had apparently been unable to resist traveling with a different version of the Time Lord for a short while, as well. (She finally understood _that_ whole situation when _her_ Doctor had explained the concept of regeneration after a particularly close call on the planet that was technically named Venusias 4, but what Hermione liked to refer to thereafter as the Planet of the Giant Woman-Eating Daisies). 

Consequently, on the way to pick up the rest of the Doctor’s “fam” back in Sheffield, they popped by a certain residence near London. However, the man they found there - the one who was not at all shy about smugly telling them, “I told you so!” - was lucky. After all, that very confusing blind date had turned into something wonderfully unexpected and any thoughts of punishing him had long been forgotten in the joy and pleasure of the newfound friendship...and quite possibly _more_...that the two women were building together as they grew closer and closer during their travels. 


End file.
